To transfer data via multi-core cable, in particular two-wire cable, it is customary to use line drivers that are able to supply a sufficiently high output current. Line drivers of this kind are widely known.
Customarily, a line driver is connected via its output resistor to the input of a cable, which has an characteristic impedance that is significantly smaller than the cable's terminating resistor. The output resistor, by contrast, corresponds to the cable's characteristic impedance. This kind of arrangement, the functionality of which will be outlined in greater detail below, is shown in FIG. 1. One of the disadvantages of conventional line drivers is the fact that a relatively high power dissipation is generated in the output resistor. This power dissipation depends among other things on the voltage applied to the input of the output resistor and the voltage occurring at the input of the cable that is affected by signal components reflected at the cable outlet.
It is an object of the invention to design a device for providing an input signal for a cable that is mismatched on the output side as well as an appropriate line driver for use in combination with such a device, using which it is possible to significantly reduce the power dissipation in the output resistor of the line driver compared to a conventional line driver arrangement.